A Wine Lover's Diary, part 301 (July 26, 2010)
Monday, July 19: Tasting dim sum at 10:30 am with Chef Patrick Lin of Lai Wah Heen to find the best wine matches. Ten different dishes, either steamed or deep fried. Drove out to King City to conduct a wine tasting dinner for a company. The wines:
- Anselmi San Vincenzo 2008 (Veneto, Italy)
- Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2009 (Marlborough, New Zealand)
- Wolf Blass Gold Label Pinot Noir 2007 (South Australia)
- Errazuriz Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 (Aconcagua Valley, Chile)
- Sella & Mosca Cannonau di Sardegna Riserva 2007 (Sardinia)
- Chapoutier Côtes du Rhône 2007 (Southern Rhône, France)
Tuesday, July 20: An email arrived from the Champagne Bureau:
This weekend we learned divers in the Baltic Sea discovered what may be the oldest bottle of drinkable Champagne in a shipwreck. Diving instructor Christian Ekstrom found the Champagne bottle, which is believed to be from the 1780s. He retrieved one bottle from a depth of 200 feet and opened it on his way back to shore, saying it was still bubbly and sweet.
Must have been for the Russian market and it was the residual sugar that preserved it. Lunch at Grano with Jackie Davies, Jeff Lyons and Sudhir Morar to discuss sponsorship opportunities for the Grapes for Humanity dinner and wine auction on October 7th at The Four Seasons. Opened a bottle of Brancaia Tre 2007 (a Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot blend from Tuscany). Wrote wine reviews for Tidings magazine. Watched the Jays thump the Royals 13–1 with a bottle of Château Bonnet Reserve 2006.
Wednesday, July 21: A tasting for Winerytohome.com with David Lawrason and Doug Towers. Finished packing for my fishing trip. The six of us leave first thing tomorrow, flying to Calgary and then to Yellowknife. We'll be away until July 30. Looking forward to massive lake trout, pike and grayling. There will be wine aplenty because we're bringing it with us. A late afternoon meeting with Doug Birrell of The Rainbow Room in Niagara to discuss a wine project. For dinner, with BBQ steak, Tini Sangiovese di Romagna. Set the alarm for 5:40 am. The car to the airport comes at 6 am. Fishing!
